A Century of Juvenile Justice

Author:N/A

ISBN 13:9780226727837

ISBN 10:226727831

Edition:1

Publisher:University of Chicago Press

Publication Date:2002-03-15

Format:Hardcover

Pages:554

List Price:$59.00

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Since its inception in Illinois in 1899, the juvenile court has become a remarkable legal and social institution all over the developed world, one that plays a singular role in modern government. At its founding, the juvenile court was intended to reverse longstanding legal traditions, and place the child's interests first in areas of law ranging from dependency to delinquency. Yet in recent years legal responses to youths' offences have undergone striking changes, as more juveniles are being transferred to adult courts and serving adult sentences.

A Century of Juvenile Justice is the first standard, comprehensive and comparative reference work to span the history and current state of juvenile justice. An extraordinary assemblage of leading authorities have produced a accessible, illustrated document, designed as a reference for everyone from probation personnel and police to students, educators, lawyers, and social workers.

Editors' introductions place into context each of the book's five sections, which consider the history of the ideas around which the system was organized and the institutions and practices that resulted; the ways in which this set of institutions and practices interacts with other aspects of government policy toward children in the U.S. and in other nations; and also the ways in which changing social and legal meanings of childhood and youth have continued to influence juvenile justice. The doctrine and institutions of juvenile justice in Europe, Japan, England, and Scotland are profiled in depth to show the range of modern responses to youth crime and child endangerment. This comparative material provides a fresh basis for judging thedirection of policy in the U.S.

Margaret K. Rosenheim is the Helen Ross professor Emerita in the School of Social Service Administration of the University of Chicago. Franklin Zimring is Professor of Law and Director of the Earl Warren Legal Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. David S. Tanenhaus is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Bernardine Dohrn is Director of the Children and Family Justice Center of Northwestern University Law School.

Library Journal

This work offers a comprehensive and detailed look at the way youthful offenders have been treated throughout U.S. history. Starting with the Elizabethan Poor Laws that undergird American social policy, the text analyzes the ways ideology influences protocol and vice versa. For example, in the early 20th century the "child savers" created programs to remove abused children from the perceived degradation lurking within the nuclear family. Several decades later, family preservation became sacrosanct, and both juvenile courts and welfare programs were loath to break up household units. The continual shifts that have occurred grounded in efforts to nurture children while simultaneously insuring that society is protected from errant youth make for fascinating reading. While the book is somewhat repetitious and overly focused on male transgressors, its century-long look at juvenile justice is essential reading for all children's rights advocates. Indeed, as the United States veers toward the adult sentencing of adolescent offenders, it offers an important assessment of options and consequences. In addition, essays on Western European and Japanese approaches to juvenile crime increase the collection's value. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries. Eleanor J. Bader, Brooklyn, New York Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.